Abstract:
This thesis addresses the issue of social transformation of space and crime in Maputo City,
taking as a space for analysis the neighborhoods of Magoanine “C” and Chamanculo “C”. The
social transformation of space comprises the set of social changes that occur in the urban or
rural environment, characterized by human interactions, whether inside or outside the family.
For the preparation of the thesis, the concomitant mixed approach was used, that is, the
combination of qualitative approaches (administration of interviews with key informants and
document analysis) and quantitative (administration of surveys to heads of households). The
social transformation of the space in the districts of Magoanine “C” and Chamanculo “C” is
the continuation of the changes that occur in Maputo City, characterized by a weak
implementation of spatial planning instruments, due to the social inequalities that occur there,
by disruption and disruption of social cohesion within families and between neighbors. These
changes have contributed to the erosion of the residents' moral values, which are manifested
by the lack appreciation of the “Other”. The sociability project erected in the beginning of
national independence has been depleted, characterized by a greater concern with community
life and well-being. This project has been replaced by a field of possibilities in which the
family and neighborhood have little dialogue with each other, valuing impersonality,
inscribed in the context of privacy. Family economic relationships take place in an
environment of “bumps” and “unwinding life”. After these transformations, crime became
news of the day and passively accepted by the community. Every day, residents complain of
crimes of (i) theft of mobile phones, purses, and wallets, using physical aggression and blunt
instruments, (ii) theft and theft of property (cars, computers, appliances), (iii) murders, (iv)
rape and (v) domestic violence. Therefore, crime in these neighborhoods results in part from
weak family and community surveillance.
